Black & Gold Bullets: November 25

Tough decisions come in the offseason and that is exactly what the Black & Gold were faced with when they declined contract options of six players on Friday. “We analyzed the financial situation in terms of the salary cap and where these players stand in relation to that,” said Crew Sporting Director and Head Coach Berhalter.“That's what a lot of these decisions are based on." TheCrew.com’s Cody Sharrett caught up with Berhalter for further clarification on the moves and what that means for the team’s offseason agenda moving forward – including efforts to potentially re-sign some out of contract players.

MLS Cup Playoffs resumed Saturday and Sunday as the finalists for the 2013 MLS Cup Final are now known. Sporting Kansas City downed Houston by a final of 2-1 to secure the Eastern Conference’s MLS Cup bid while Real Salt Lake pulled out a 1-0 victory on the road in Portland to win the Western Conference on an aggregate score of 5-2. The Associated Press recaps both Conference Final matchups ahead of the Dec. 7 tilt for 2013 MLS Cup honors.